The invention is directed to an electrical component, particularly a varistor, that is installed in a plastic cup and has at least two electrical connecting leads, lead wires or lines, and whereby a fuse formed by a solder metal is arranged in at least one connecting line or lead, said fuse disconnecting the component from a current source given overload, whereby the solder metal bridges a separating point arranged in the lead and the lead is charged with a prestressed spring that removes the lead from the parting location given response of the fuse.
DE 42 41 311 C1 discloses such a component.
For example, DE 25 31 438 C3 also discloses that an interspace between cathode terminal and cathode contacting in a tantalum electrolyte capacitor is bridged by a metal alloy that melts given overload or incorrect polarization. The capacitor therein is surrounded with a plastic envelope that also encloses the fuse location.
A proper functioning of the fuse, however, assumes that the molten solder can escape, so that a reliable interruption of the current is assured. Since this can only ensue when the envelope bursts (crack formation), the molten solder continues to conduct the current until the envelope bursts without an interruption of the power thereby occurring.
In order to overcome these difficulties, it is therefore disclosed in EP 0 110 134 B1 that the melt fuse is surrounded by a layer of a wax-like substance whose thickness is dimensioned such that the molten metal alloy in case of a short can form molten beads in the molten wax, so that an interruption of the current can occur in time.
The described safety devices, however, assume that the component itself and the connecting wires are fixed in the plastic envelope since there would otherwise be the risk that, despite the melting of the fuse, the connecting wire would again come into contact with the component, so that a renewed current conduction could ensue.